Academy product Brandon Williams is set to feature from the kick-off when Manchester United take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Manchester United will be looking to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup when they lock horns with rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. And manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to make quite a few changes to the side that started against Norwich City in the Red Devils’ last game at the weekend.
Starting from goal, first-choice goalkeeper David de Gea has not travelled with the rest of the squad to London, meaning his deputy Sergio Romero is set to start against Chelsea. Solskjaer is likely to revert to a three-man backline that he used to good effect against Liverpool and Partizan Belgrade over the last week.
The boss has hinted that there may be more minutes for two #MUAcademy youngsters on Wednesday…#MUFC #CarabaoCup
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 29, 2019
This could see Marcos Rojo return to the starting lineup after missing the weekend clash, while Phil Jones is also likely to come into the team at the expense of Victor Lindelof. World’s most expensive defender Harry Maguire should continue to feature at the heart of the Manchester United defence, with Axel Tuanzebe still not back from his injury layoff.
Diogo Dalot also remains sidelined, which means Manchester United will have to continue with Aaron Wan-Bissaka as their right wing-back.
Academy products Brandon Williams and James Garner have forced their way into contention after impressing in their last appearance against Partizan Belgrade. Speaking of the duo’s chances of starting against Chelsea, Solskjaer said after the Norwich game, “For just 10, 15 minutes tonight Jimmy played as well.
“I thought he was excellent, because he’s calmed us down when we wanted to see the game out. So we’ve not made a decision on who is going to play [at Chelsea] but you’ll probably see the two of them [Garner and Williams].”
Brandon Williams ought to replace captain Ashley Young as the left wing-back for Manchester United against Chelsea, while James Garner is likely to come into the starting XI at the expense of Brazilian international Fred. Scott McTominay has grown into an indispensable figure for the Red Devils and should start in midfield again, with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic still unavailable.
Academy prospects Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood were involved with the Manchester United Under-21s against Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday and are unlikely to feature for the senior team at Stamford Bridge.
But, there is likely to be one significant change against the Blues, with Jesse Lingard likely to come into the team in place of Andreas Pereira as the lone attacking midfielder. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were very impressive against Norwich City at the weekend and should continue to pair up in the Manchester United attack against Chelsea.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Romero; Jones, Maguire, Rojo; Wan-Bissaka, McTominay, Garner, Williams; Lingard; Rashford, Martial
